Grief shrouds remote Pakistan mountain village after Greece migrant boat tragedy

 Grief shrouds remote Pakistan mountain village after Greece migrant boat tragedy:

An air of melancholy hangs over the small village of Bandali in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, where hopes are rapidly fading for nearly two dozen residents who have gone abroad in search of a better life and who have since disappeared.

Families hold back tears as they yearn to know what may have happened to their loved ones - all of the migrants aboard the Adriana, an overcrowded fishing trawler that capsized off the coast of Greece last week, killing in least 81 people and hundreds more were missing.

In Pakistan, authorities said more than 300 of its nationals were killed in the tragedy, but did not say how they got the information. Pakistan's Federal Intelligence Agency said in a statement on Tuesday that 88 people had been officially reported missing by family members.

Bandali, with a population of 12,000, is just one of many Pakistani communities affected by the disaster - in this village alone, around 22 people are still missing, according to locals.

Their loved ones now face an excruciating wait as Greek authorities seek accountability for the dead by scrolling through WhatsApp chats on their phones, which have since gone silent, all victims of a refugee crisis sweeping the Union European Union as tens of thousands seek refuge from war. , persecution and poverty.

Saeed Anwar said four members of his family are now missing, including his brother Abdul Jabbar. A selfie the group sent to Anwar's phone before they went missing showed the four men smiling, their goal of reaching Europe very close.

Jabbar, 36, paid a human smuggler more than $7,500 in hopes of reaching Italy and traveled thousands of miles on dangerous roads from his homeland to give his young daughters a brighter future, Anwar told CNN. Jabbar left his two daughters in the village as he continued his journey.

Pakistan, a country of about 220 million people, is in the throes of its worst economic crisis in decades. There is little work; inflation is accelerating; and basic necessities, including food and fuel, are becoming increasingly expensive.

The exact route taken by Jabbar and his three relatives is not clear. But they arrived in Libya a few days before boarding an ill-fated ship bound for their final destination: Italy.

Phone conversations between Anwar and Jabbar in the days leading up to the tragedy shed light on the harsh conditions they face on the journey, which is controlled by a lucrative and all too often ruthless network of international smugglers.

In a video sent to Anwar by his brother Libya, about 100 men could be seen sleeping in a small room, their bodies buried head to toe in the floor.

"Traffickers starved the refugees for 72 hours, or sometimes gave them bread after 24 hours," Anwar said, adding that they were held in "overcrowded conditions".

According to the UN Migration Office (IOM), there were about 750 men, women and children on board when it capsized last week.

CNN spoke to survivors in Greece who said it was full of people on three decks. The worst was the lowest deck, where it was almost impossible for passengers to move or go to a higher level.

A dangerous journey:

The Mediterranean Sea, and in particular many of Greece's southern islands, is an important route for migrants and refugees escaping political conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The Greek authorities have faced criticism for their handling of the disaster, and uncomfortable questions have been raised about European countries' attitudes towards migrants.

Last week, Greek authorities denied claims the boat capsized after coastguards tried to tow it ashore.

Authorities initially claimed the Coast Guard would keep their distance, but their help "was refused" after they threw a rope over the ship to "stabilize it and see if it needed help".

But Tarek Aldroobi, a man who had three relatives on board, told CNN they saw the Greek authorities towing the ship with ropes - but said they were tied in the "wrong places", which led to the led to the ship capsizing.

Back in Bandala, shopkeeper Raja Aqeel prayed for the families waiting for news of their loved ones.

His own brother made the perilous voyage from Pakistan to Libya but "luckily" survived because he did not board the ill-fated boat, which sank.

Now Aqeel is desperately trying to get his brother home, three months after he embarked on his first trip to Europe.

According to EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, while Greek authorities counted 81 dead, hundreds are still missing, making it one of the worst disasters of its kind in the Mediterranean.

Johansson denounced the role of "smugglers" in getting people onto the boats.

"They don't send them to Europe, they send them to their deaths," she said. "That's what they are doing and it absolutely must be prevented."

Pakistani authorities say they have started cracking down on human trafficking networks in the country, arresting more than 20 "smugglers" and "more than five traffickers".

According to the country's investigative authorities, special teams have been formed in the capital Islamabad and in the cities of Lahore, Gujrat, Gujranwala and Rawalpindi to arrest other suspects.

Pakistan's Human Rights Commission said in a statement on Monday that the deaths from the sinking were "avoidable".

He called on the authorities "to assume their part in this disaster", while acknowledging that "the lack of economic opportunities in the country is forcing more and more people to try their luck on such roads without realizing the risk ". aware."

The tragedy "should serve as a clear reminder to the state that it has failed to stem a serious and long-standing violation of human rights," he said.